Ida Henrietta Tietjen Farnsworth It was a long trail from Sweden across the broad Atlantic Ocean to New York , then across the many miles to the Great Salt Lake Valley or " Zion " as it was lovingly called. Then on to Arizona and finally way down into the mountains of Old Mexico. That is the trail followed by Ida Henrietta Tietjen Farnsworth during her lifetime. It took a strong faith in God, and a deep, abiding love for the Gospel to give the Saints from far off lands the courage and strength to gather to Zion. Ida Henrietta Tietjen and her parents, August Henry and Ida Frederica Kruger Tietjen, were among the brave pioneers whose veins were filled with the blood of Israel , and they knew the Master's voice when His servants brought them the message of the restored Gospel. Ida was six years old when she left her home in Sweden . She left behind her beautiful home, furnishings and nice clothes. When the family accepted the Gospel, the church leaders admonished them to sell their belongings and to help the poor gather to Zion . They did this willingly. She arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1859, settling first in Salt Lake , then later in Santaquin , Utah . After arriving in Utah , the family was forced at times to sell some of their fine clothes to get bread. Ida met a fine young man in Santaquin and there were prospects of a marriage. Before it could be consummated, he was accidentally killed. Later she was courted by Alonzo Lafayette Farnsworth, who already had two wives, Mame (Mary Ann) and Annie. Alonzo invited her to be his third wife and gave her six months in which to decide. Ida and Alonzo were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on April 5, 1875. Ida was twenty-two years old. It took unselfishness, patience, faith, understanding, and a strong determination to succeed in living plural marriage. The price was not too high, for Ida loved the truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Alonzo's first wife, Mame, was unable to have children. Ida and Alonzo's second wife, Annie, offered to share. Annie was to give her second son to Maine and Ida was to give her second daughter to Mame . These two women put their trust in God to give them strength to do this. It was not God who called them to suffer this sacrifice, nor was it their husband. They did it on their own to show their love for Mame, regardless of the anguish and suffering it would cost them. In due time, Annie gave her second son, Lester, to Mame. When Ida discovered that another little one was on the way she grew very apprehensive, lest it be a girl and she would have to give the child away. She didn't know if she would be strong enough to carry on with her part of this solemn pact. She prayed to the Lord for help and strength, and then she put her trust in Him! At that time Ida was living in Tuba City , Arizona and Mame was in Colonia Garcia , Mexico. The little girl was named Sarah Ellis Farnsworth after one of Mame 's relatives. By the time Alonzo was ready to take Sarah to Mexico, she was three years old. True to her promise, Ida had told Sarah from the time she was old enough to understand what was to be done. As soon as Ida arrived in Colonia Garcia, she gathered up Sarah's clothes and belongings. Ida, trying to be strong, though trembling and tearful, took the little girl by the hand and went to the home of Mame and laid her sacrifice upon the altar of love. Sarah clung to her mother and wept bitterly. Mame could not stand to see Ida and Sarah suffer and so she insisted that the child remain with Ida. Ida was blessed with nine children, six boys and three girls. She lost one little son, Jesse, through an accident. She had placed the child in his little rocking chair and placed him near the fireplace to keep him warm while she went out to do the milking. She left an older daughter to watch the baby. The older sister forgot for a moment and the baby, rocking back and forth, fell forward into the fire and was badly burned. After two weeks of intense suffering, Jesse died. This was a time of excruciating sorrow in Ida's life. Only with the help of Heavenly Father was she able to endure this trial. Ida was tall, graceful and cultured. She had long, dark hair and soft, brown eyes. She was frugal--doing all of her own work. She taught her children the blessing of work and the importance of earning what one received. The family always had a vegetable garden that furnished food not only for them, but for the neighbors as well. Ida believed in following the leaders of the Church and she worked all her life for the blessing of having children faithful in the Gospel. To obtain the blessings promised, Ida had the family read scriptures and sing a hymn each morning and night before prayers were said. She instilled into the hearts of her children a deep and abiding love for the restored Gospel, and a desire to keep the Lord's commandments. All of her children were married in the temple. At times Ida would faint with weakness, but she never failed to fast. When blessings for which she prayed and fasted were received, she constantly thanked the Lord, thus setting a fine example for her children. Ida was a faithful church worker all of her life. She taught Sunday School, Primary and was a Relief Society Visiting Teacher. She had the privilege of caring for the sick and the dead. She washed and dressed the dead for burial--all a great labor of love and devotion. Ida was an excellent seamstress, having learned this art from her mother. She not only made dresses, coats, and other clothing for her daughters, but also made suits for her husband and sons. She loved having her family look nice. Ida was very artistic. She did beautiful handwork. She adorned her home with the work of her own hands. She also made men's gloves out of tanned buckskin, often trimming them with lovely embroidery work. Ida loved the soil and under her expert care it produced food for her family and flowers to feed her soul. She had a beautiful flower garden. Most of the flowers came from the starts she had received from friends and neighbors. Ida loved and appreciated the pigs, chickens, and cows which supplied her family with eggs, meat, milk, butter, and cheese; and also horses that helped with the work of providing for her large family. Two grey mares, Kit and Fan, were her special favorites. She would hitch them to a wagon filled with produce from the garden and field, and along with one of her older children, travel to the lower valley where this produce was traded for fruit, molasses, and other commodities not available at the little mountain home. Ida wept in sorrow whenever one of the animals died; it was as parting with a loved and trusted friend. One test of Ida's faith was when she sent two of her young boys out into the tall pines to look for some cows that had strayed. Her boys did not return. All night she watched and waited for them, praying for help. At daylight she went to the Bishop for help. He alerted the men of the town and with prearranged signals, the men fanned out in search of the missing boys. Soon three shots rang out which meant that the boys had been found, and that they were alright. The boys had run into some hunters who had invited them to spend the night. Ida's prayers were answered. Ida took her youngest daughter, Jennie, who was about eight years old, to Salt Lake City to visit with family there. They had not been there long when Ida contracted pneumonia. The doctors did not know then how to deal with it and in spite of everything that could be done, Ida continued to get worse. She died on May 1, 1906. Children of Ida Henrietta Tietjen Farnsworth: Ernest Lafayette Farnsworth Ida Bell Farnsworth Steven August Farnsworth Jesse Charles Farnsworth Orin Fay Farnsworth Byron Nephi Farnsworth Sarah Ellis Farnsworth Earl Benjamin Farnsworth Jennie Tietjen Farnsworth, ***History based on information from Ida's daughter, Sarah Ellis Farnsworth Nielsen. As related by Zereta Farnsworth Angle, Granddaughter My Grandmother, Ida Tietjen Farnsworth, died when I was three years old. I only remember seeing her once, but the experience endeared her to me and I have longed to know her better. We lived a block from Grandma. One day in the early spring of 1906, Father sent me to her place to get some green onions. She met me on the steps, picked me up in her arms and kissed me. She took me into the house, gave me some cookies and talked to me. I don't remember getting the onions, but I do remember Grandma with love.
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